When Carina and I head up to the twenty fourth floor, there seems to be nothing in sight. It’s just an empty hall like I imagined it would be after seeing so many changelings in one room. Taking advantage of that, Carina and I drop our disguises. About a minute into walking, I find a carving in the form of a note, just like Lace and Moph had discussed. Suddenly, I hear two shrieks. Carina appears to have her forehooves on the wall of a nearby crater, again, just like what I heard. I gasp.
“Carina! Are you okay?”
“Uh, can you uh..."
I nod and levitate Carina onto a safe distance from the crater. When I look at it, I see who I can only assume is Correal, lying emotionless on the floor. Her mouth hangs open as her eyes are simply closed. Looking closer, all around her face, legs, and especially her horn, there are black marks, seeming to suggest that the nutrients from sharing love is starting to weather away. Below her, I see that the base of the crater has a scorch mark, like Correal was preparing a spell and it somehow backfired.
Looking at the entire picture, I start to gag.
“O-oh... oh, man...”
“Carve? Are you okay?”
I finally avert my gaze at Correal and turn to Carina, sighing along the way. Carina appears to be itching her cheeks a little. I turn back around, facing ahead instead of down.
“Yeah. I just don’t think I can take anymore of seeing Correal like that.”
“And nobody saw this coming. Not even Thorax.”
“Actually, Carina, do you remember when we first met Correal upon our return?”
Carina nods.
“She said that she wouldn’t want anything to happen to the hive because of her. That should’ve raised a stoplight for me, but I didn’t notice, kind of like how the picture on the main entrance to Rolling Acres getting removed should’ve done the same.”
Carina re-approaches the crater, right next to me, to my left.
“It’s hard to believe she’s gone now. And just to think, she was the early bird just this morning.”
“I know, Carina.”
I sigh before continuing.
“But, well, life is weather.”
“Carve, Chrysalis gave all fourteen of her remaining drones one mission. To turn the hive back to her. Carve, what reasons have we found that can convince the hive to abandon Thorax’s title as king?”
“I... I only know off the top of my head that Chrysalis had no idea that her hive was going to get taken over until it was too late, and by a drone that had left on his own accord.”
“Yes, and... what did we have no idea about?”
“...Correal doing what she did today?”
“Exactly, Carve. Now, I have an idea, so follow me.”
I nod. When Carina reapplies her disguise and hovers over the crater, I do the same.
“Uh, Carve? What does the hive do when something like this happens?”
“Well, from what I remember, the entire hive attends a calling, as we say it, except for the male half of the royal family as well as the guards that have exceeded five years of experience.”
“Okay. Thanks for the info.”
We walk back down to where there’s a high amount of chatter going on, even though it’s coming from the next room. After a while, the crowd of chatter emerges out of a forming hole, only to see us.
“Hi everyone. Carina and I traveled up to the twenty fourth floor ourselves and have made up our minds. Carina?”
“I would like to request the location of King Thorax for his approval of a calling.”
“Well, here I am. I think I know what the calling is for, so I approve, Carina.”
“Do you know any royal family members that live here?”
“Well, no. It’s just me. And since you became my very first friend, I’ll send you as the speaker.”
“Thanks, King Thorax, but I’ll send that title off to one changeling I know the most: Carve.”
I nod.
“Thanks, Carina. Let’s head to the site.”
;=;
When I arrive at the crater with the many changelings in tow, I turn around and take a deep breath.
“You know, there comes a time, where we lose something, where a changeling’s chapter closes with a bang. Invasion after invasion, under Chrysalis’ rule, that was very common. Today, not even a month into King Thorax’s rule, one chapter had closed in one of the most unusual of changeling ways, with a single note, carved in Lingo. That chapter came from Correal as she simply wrote ‘va cutera Solaz’. The inability to venture in her last year and a half played a sizable role in how Correal got into the state she was in today. In fact, I saw her fear of something happening to the hive as a consequence for her actions.”
I take a moment for another deep breath.
“I understand where Correal’s fear was coming from. Judging from what she had said yesterday, deep inside, she regretted past actions that may’ve somehow harmed the hive. I am not exactly sure what, but I do know that it has something to do with following Thorax. Lace, how many invasions did it take before we followed King Thorax?”
“Twenty.”
“Throughout those years, I’ve attended up to fifty callings, all of which happened within a span of eight years. Of all of those fifty plus callings, none of them were like this one. Correal has taught us a lesson. Change can be good, bad, or neither, depending on the severity of the consequences, and how we reflect on those consequences. Recently, I went to Rolling Acres to see that two carriage-drone hybrids were destroying it. However, unlike me, Correal had no one to turn to when Thorax talked to her about a wake up call Carina and I were given, something that’s even worse than one thirteen.”
“Why would anything be worse than one thirteen,” Moph asks.
“Because after one thirteen, we had a queen that we could turn to for help. That help has gotten us through many failures, and based on Correal’s reaction, Thorax didn’t portray that same amount of reliable help. I feel sorry about what happened to Correal, and I know how to follow up on that so that she is not forgotten.”
One of the changelings leaps into the air, flailing her hooves, her form changing from the pastel colors I’m used to seeing by now to the form I actually am.
“We’ve got to get our queen back!!”
And just like that, the rest of the changelings follow suit and head out, leaving me and Carina with Correal.